How To Find A Good Locktician

This post was inspired by an email I received recently concerning finding a good locktician. I really felt compelled to answer it because as an experienced locktician, I find myself repairing or “fixing” the locks of women who have had poor experiences and bad results with an inexperienced or a “Lazy Locktician". Here’s the email I received recently: 

 Here is my response….

Regardless of whether this locktician has experience or not, I would consider her a “Lazy Locktician”. First of all, I would never suggest cutting off 3½ inches of hair unless that hair was completely damaged. 

  I recently installed Sisterlocks on a client who had over 12 inches of naturally straight and dense hair. She ended up with 548 locks. I’ve had clients cut their hair to get rid of damaged ends or because they wanted to completely cut off all the permed ends, but at no time did I recommend cutting the hair to save me time in the process.   

    

 

 

 

Dry Itchy Scalp

  Article coming soon on how to relieve dry itchy scalp

HealthyLocks "Ooh!" Therapeautic Scalp Serum   2oz/6oml

**Testimonial**  Girl, you certainly knew what you were doing when you sneaked the little sample of Ooh! oil into my last order. All I had to do was open the bottle and — BAM! Gotta have it! It feels SO good on my scalp, and the aroma is pretty much intoxicating (especially after getting into it after a hectic day at work). Thanks for your wonderful products that are just for "us." I’m already hooked on the Conditioning Mist and the Soul Purpose products for use on my hair. Now this. I am so happy to have found you. You’ve made it a such a joy to have locs, Phyllis. Bless you! –Karen (Louisville, Kentucky)

 

Loc Jewelry for Dreadlocks Sisterlocks and Locs

Hi Gang.  I just realized that I didn’t have this video posted on my site. 

I began wearing jewelry in my locks about a year after I had them and have been adorning my locks ever since.  It’s one of the funnest (is that a word?)  things I do with my locks and it brings me joy. 

First of all, you hardly see anyone with jewelry pieces in their locks; and definitely not to the extent that I wear them. To me, it’s better than styling my locs.  If you wear your locks straight or don’t do much styling, the jewelry for your locks is a great alternative. And now that I think about it, the jewelry in my locs is what has kept my jones for color and desire for high styling at bay.  The loc jewelry transforms a head of straight, un-styled locs into an "intriguing", "exotic" and "sexy" head of locs. Many of my clients adorn their locks and when I attach their first few pieces, I have to prepare them to expect a lot of stares, comments and compliments, from both men and women.  It’s just such a different and interesting look.

But be careful though.  There is a caveat…Once you start adorning your locks, you may become addicted.  I do have several "jewelry junkies" among my clients.  As soon as they sit in my chair, or sometimes, as they are arriving through the door, they’re asking to see the small collection that they  set aside during their last grooming session.  It’s like they can’t relax until they have several trays of jewelry stacked on their laps.   After they feverishly rummage through and select a few pieces for now and few pieces to add to their stash of "buy later" pieces, you can litterally see them exhale, sit back and finally relax in the chair in preparation for me to begin grooming their locks.  It’s a funny thing to watch.

This video shows me introducing you to a few of my favorite pieces in the collection.  Order soon if you want any of the current pieces.  I will be condensing the selection and adding a few new pieces very soon.  Click on the photo to get to your lock jewelry now.       

 

Dreadlocks - A Two Year Loc Journey

Hey Gang.  This is an update to a video and a post I wrote 2 years ago.   What you’re about to see is my good friend and client, Shannon.  I started her locking process 2 years ago.  Although she had some damage/breakage around the temple area and dryness at her tips because of the color in her hair, her hair for the most part was healthy.  Shannon’s hair was also coarse and I knew that she would lock in no time.  Here is one of the actual videos from 2 years ago. I apologize for the delay in the video.  That’s something that has happened since it’s been on YouTube and it’s out of my hands to fix.  Content is still good though.  Click here to view it. 

The first 9 pictures represent Shannon’s initial coiling session and then returning 4 weeks later for her first grooming.  The last 4 pictures represent Shannon’s hair at the 1 year mark right after a grooming.  You’ll notice that her hair appears like it didn’t grow that much (the length is just a "little" longer at 1 year than it was at the very beginning of her loc journey).  Actually you can definitely see how the coils have drawn up, condensed, expanded and transitioned into short locks.  On the average, it takes about 10 -18 months for the coils to transition to this point - it’ll take closer to 2 years for those of you who have the smoother and straighter hair textures.

Click on any photo  below to enlarge and more times for extreme close ups and detail.  Read and view below to see how Shannon’s locs have come into their own!

This month (November 2009) represents Shannon’s 2 year loc anniversary.  I took the photos below after her grooming session two weeks ago.  Shannon (opting for the healthiest locks possible) has not colored her hair again.  I want you to notice how the hair compresses so much that there is only a little color on the tips left. (Shannon’s locks have never been cut or trimmed).   

The stage that Shannon is in right now is considered the "Falling Off The Shelf" stage.  It will seem like her locks are growing very rapidly and she will notice significant length each year from here on out.  I groom Shannon’s locks every 6-8 weeks and and we both maintain them with the Healthylocks Daily Conditioning Mist and the Soul Purpose body balms.  These products keeps her locks soft and pliable and helps her to maintain a light and natural sheen.

Congratulations Shannon!  Your locks are absolutely FAB-U-LOUS!

The photos speak for themselves.  Just hover over the picture to access the controls…Enjoy!

 

 

Locking Gray Hair - An Update

         DAY 1 

Hi Gang! 

Here’s an update to the post Installing New Sisterlocks - The Journey.  In the initial post, which also featured a great video, you saw newly installed Sisterlocks that were very neat and styled by rolling on perm rods.  It’s been 4 1/2 months now since that date and below are photos that show what Felecia’s locs look like currently. 

Now, for those of you who have gray hair (I prefer "silver hair") or a straighter and smoother texture…don’t fall off your chair when you see the photos below.  Felecia was very well prepared via her consultation, her own research and continual dialogue with me on what to expect during her transition into locks.   Her texture and journey is so different from any of my other clients that we will continue to share her journey with you.

Felicia’s groomings are every 2-3 weeks and takes 3 hours.  When she shampoos her hair, the slippage is severe and retightenings take almost 5 hours!  The up side though is her hair is starting to settle (mat within the lock).  Her ends, some of which and especially on top, still have about an inch or so of perm on them.  Since Felecia’s curl pattern is long and wavy and  not "coily" at all, her ends are just loose and open.  They will eventually mat together as well and close up.

I really thought that since Felecia works in a professional office atmosphere and is very active with her church activities, she would be  curling her hair with the perm rods on a regular basis and be more self conscious about the appearance of her hair.  To my surprise and excitement, however, she rarely curls her hair at all!  So what you see in the photos below is pretty much her true texture and wave pattern taking over her locks.  I just LOVE IT…and she LOVES IT EVEN MORE! 

So check out the pictures and please feel free to share this post with other bloggers and your friends on Twitter (press the RETWEET  button above)

See Felecia’s initial loc installation  and video here.

Click on each photo to enlarge it and again to see magnificent detail.

    

    

  See…you wouldn’t even know they were Sisterlocks if you didn’t part the hair and check near the scalp.  Know that Felecia would definitely have a more manicured look to her locks if she curled them - Provided she rolled them correctly and making sure her ends were smoothed and wrapped around the rods very neatly.  They would look pretty much how they looked after the first day of installation.

But I’m really proud and delighted that she is going with the flow and embracing her natural beautiful texture.  Felecia is definitely representing!  Thank you Felecia!!!!

 

“When Can I Style My New Sisterlocks?”

This post is in response to a question I received from a reader with newly installed Sisterlocks.  She wanted to know if she could start roller setting her new locks.  I decided to make a post and respond to her question here so that more readers can benefit from the answer I gave her.  You can read it below.

*************************************************

Hi Darlene.  The only time I ” roller set” the Sisterlocks is after the initial installation and only if the locks are straight.  Some of my clients have very coily,  highly textured hair and require no roller setting after the initial installation.  I then encourage my clients not to do too much additional styling during the first several months so that the locks have a chance to settle. 

Over the next several weeks your new Sisterlocks will change in their appearance.  They will loosen and “draw up” giving a shorter appearance to your locks.  Your hair will become more full and your parts will be less noticeable (until your next re-tightening).  Your locks may develop little spirally ringlets on the very tips and overall your locks will be more “fluffy”.  This is normal.  But, if you continuously style, by roller setting, plaiting, twisting, pulling it  back, or any type of additional styling, you may be stressing the locks and hindering the locking process.   It’s best to leave your new Sisterlocks alone doing the least amount of styling as possible.  When you’re manipulating your new Sisterlocks to obtain a style, you’re pulling and stretching at the lock that should be in a natural “contracting” stage, which is a stage that occurs before the hair starts to mesh together to lock.

So in a nutshell…less is more when it comes to your new Sisterlocks.  Enjoy them at this stage and allow them to develop so that you will have healthy, uniform and consistent looking Sisterlocks down the road.

Just a little side note…hair that is highly textured, kinky and coily - You know, the good ol’ “nappy” hair, can withstand more styling early on than hair that is smoother and softer in texture.  I have a few clients that have been able to curl and style their hair from day one.  I also have one client that comes to mind who suffers from major slippage because of the smooth, silky texture of her hair.  Click here to read her story

It has been my experience, however,  that the more you  manipulate your new Sisterlocks, the more slippage, unraveling and stretching of the locks will occur and you don’t want your locktician upset with you, especially when she’s already in you head for hours:)  Great question, Darlene.  Have a great hair day!

The SpringLocks Instructional Videos Are Shipping!

Hey Gang!

Just a quick post to let you know that the Springlocks Instructional Video is finally shipping…Woo Hoo!  I deeply discounted this video for the next two weeks only.  The regular price is deeply discounted as well, so get yours today!  My videos after this will price appropriately and only people on my subscribers list will be able to take advantage of any discounts.

Click here to go to the information page:  http://videolocktician.com/instructional-videos  or click the tab above that reads “Instructional Videos.

The order page can be found here:  http://videolocktician.com/order-hair-products 

Also, I’m on the road this weekend and I’m vending my Soul Purpose products at The Black Beauty Hair & Braids Expo at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.  The convention center is located , at 403 N. 3rd Street, Richmond, VA  23219.  If you’re in the area, stop by so we can meet.   I’ll be there Sat - Mon.  I’d love to take a picture with you and your locks and post them on the site!  Stop by and say hi.

Have A Great Hair Day.  Hope to see ya this weekend.

Installing New Sisterlocks - A Video Journey

Hey Gang…Great Video Below!

I’m going to enjoy sharing this post with you.  You’re about to meet one of my newest Sisterlocks client, Felecia.  Felecia, a very attractive woman, has been plagued with pre-mature graying of her hair since she could remember.  Because of it, the people who don’t know her assume that she is much older than she actually is.  And when going to a salon to get her hair done, they would always give her, “old fashion” styles.  Felecia shared with me that she has always permed and dyed her hair and was a very regular customer at the traditional beauty salons.  So like most of us prior to locking, Felecia had a regular routine of perming and coloring her hair, which translates into many hours in the salon, dry damaged hair and lots of money spent on a style that’s only going to last until the next humid or rainy day.  Permanent black dye was the only dye that would give complete coverage of her gray, but as her gray hair grew in, Felecia says that within a week and a half, you could see the conspicuous line of demarcation, which was literally “white going to black”.    Felecia, who works in a professional office atmosphere and who is very active in her church, chuckles as she recalls how her hair looked and was perceived when she was not only growing out her perm, but also growing out of her black dye.  She literally had black hair on top of a halo of white new growth, which she confidently wore in a straight afro. (Interesting.  I wish I had a picture of that.)  Also, as we get older, we desire to take better care of ourselves and Felecia realized that all of that chemical processing so often, needed to stop.

  It’s funny when sisters decide that they’ve finally had enough hair drama.  For most of us, once you decide to go natural, you become very determined about your hair and how you will deal with “non-naturals”.  People closest to you can’t understand for the life of them why anyone would come out in public with their hair like this…

 

I have to give it to Felecia.  She did her homework and actually interviewed two Sisterlocks consultants before finding me on YouTube.  On the day of her consultation, she rang my door bell, and as I opened the front door, I was greeted by THREE people -  Felecia and her two adult, natural-haired daughters.  The younger of the two had natural twists, which she maintained herself and she was just as excited as her mother.  The older one, however, who was more guarded and serious, had a head full of beautiful thick traditional locs that cascaded down her back.  She had been growing them for over 8 years.  During the actual consultation that lasted approximately 3 hours, they peppered me with lots of great questions in between the many questions that I had for Felecia along with watching videos, viewing pictures and asking her about her current hair regimen and her lifestyle. 

By the end of the consultation, everyone was relaxed and confident that they had received thorough and accurate info about locked hair and Sisterlocks.  It was during this time that I turned to the eldest daughter, smiled and asked, “Did I pass your test?”  They all chuckled and agreed that I knew my craft and admitted they wanted to make sure that Felecia (their mother) wasn’t going to be talked into anything and that the person installing her Sisterlocks knew what she was doing – we’ve all heard of the horror stories. 

That was funny to me and I occasionally tease Felecia how she came to her consultation with her “posse” and “both barrels loaded”.  But at the same time, I had to convey and re-iterate to Felecia that her locking process would definitely be challenging because of the smooth and straight texture of her hair.  She would probably experience a lot of slippage, plus she still had a few inches on top that were permed that she wasn’t ready to get rid of.  All my experience with gray hair confirms that gray hair has a mind of its own and will almost always work itself outside of the loc.  So I really wanted to prepare her for whatever technique she chose for locking.  Her process would be a lot longer.  Felecia’s hair won’t even resemble locs until close to 2 years in.  It will look more like a bushy afro until then.

 I will continue to document Felecia’s journey, so visit often.  I love the challenging heads.  You learn a lot from them.  Enjoy the video and wishing everyone a great hair day! 

After you watch this video, check out Felecia’s updated video and see what her Sisterlocks look like after 4 1/2 months!

 

 

                   

 

Curling & Styling Your Dreadlocks Sisterlocks & Locs w/Pipe Cleaners To Create Gorgeous “SpringLocks”

Hey Gang…Just a quick post to let you know that I’m just days away from officially launching  the SpringLocks instructional video!  Look up above and click on the tab for "Instructional Videos".  I put up a short page  and a great video.  Go check it out now and please "TWEET" and share with your friends.   Enjoy the mini gallery of my SpringLocks above.  Have a great weekend!  Click on each picture to make it larger. Click again to go even larger and one more time for EXTREME  details!  Click on the back button a few times to get back to this page.  Enjoy! Phyllis NEWS FLASH!!!!!!   The Springlocks Instructional Video Is Ready For Shipping.  Get Your Copy TODAY!!!   Click  this link to go directly to the page.  http://videolocktician.com/instructional-videos

Tiny Cobra Loc Jewelry For Your SisterLocks

This is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry for my locs.  I just wanted to give you an upclose view of it’s intricacy.  This design is hand made especially for the Sisterlocks.  It’s called the "Tiny Cobra" and is available for order.  Check out the video.  

Next Page »